The NCAA officially opened the second football transfer portal window at 11 p.m. CT on Monday, allowing football players to announce their intent to transfer over the next two weeks.
The window opens just as many schools are wrapping up their spring practices, which means many of the players entering already know what their role on the team would have been and may “go portaling” to find a spot where they can contribute and get more playing time.
Here are some players across Texas who entered the portal on Tuesday:
Houston
RB Brandon Campbell
North Texas
QB Dylan Gebbia
DL Marcus Moore
SMU
DB Brock Foster
DB Bryan Massey
Texas
LB S’Maje Burrell
OL Payton Kirkland
DE Billy Walton
Texas A&M
LB Alex Howard
DB Jacoby Matthews
DB Sam McCall
Texas State
OL Marcus Alexander
Texas Tech
DL Tre’Darious Brown
RB Bryson Donnell
RB Anquan Willis
UTEP
DL Viontay Robinson
WR Kyle McNamara
The transfer portal has changed the nature of college sports since it was implemented in October 2018. It, along with the introduction of name, image, and likeness (NIL), has created a sort of “unrestricted free agency” that allows college teams to rebuild their rosters on the fly, something that was only previously available in professional leagues and now blurs the line between amateur athletics and professionals.
Many coaches have opposed the idea because it promotes “taking the easy way out” and a lack of personal and professional development.
Recently retired coaching legend Nick Saban voiced his concern over the current model of college athletics, particularly with NIL and the transfer portal, during a forum held by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) last month in Washington, D.C.
For his part, the Longhorns’ head football coach acknowledged the challenges the portal brings after his team’s practice on Tuesday.
“As of right now, these are the rules we’ve got,” Sarkisian remarked as he met the media. “How do we navigate these rules in the best interest of our current players, those guys who think, ‘Maybe it’s time to move on,’ as well as those who enter the portal from other schools? It takes a lot of work. It’s not easy.”
